Norm-referenced standard of health-related physical fitness of ROKAF pilots

BACKGROUND: The present study is undertaken to acquire normative data of health-related physical fitness(HRPF) of Republic of Korea Air Force(ROKAF) aircrews and to provide norm-referenced standard of HRPF. METHODS: From 15 May 1998 through 14 December 1999, 1284 KAF pilots are checked muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body fat percentage. RESULTS: The grip strength was relatively maintained, but flexibility, back strength, and muscular endurance were declined according to promotion and aging. And the incidence of obesity determined by bioelectrical impedence analysis was higher than that assessed on the basis of height and weight. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that many pilots who were normal in BMI have abdominal or visceral obesity. Further studies must be made on the health promotion program for the pilots, on the changes in physical fitness, and on the criterion-referenced standard of HRPF of the pilots.

Endurance Exercise Training before Hemodialysis : An Effective Therapeutic Modality for End-stage Renal Disease Patients / 대한신장학회잡지

Forty-six patients receiving maintenance "conventional" hemodialysis were studied before and after a 12-week conditioning program to determine the effects of physiologic and psychosocial functions. The subjects were assigned at random to either a exercise(n=25) or a control group(n=21). The subjects in the exercise group performed a combination of bicycle ergometry and treadmill walking two or four times a week for a total exercise time of 10-40 min per session. A low-level graded exercise treadmill stress test(GXT) were administered before and after training. Hematological and serum lipid profiles were also determined before and after training. Following training, there were improvements in physical work capacity(PWC) for the GXT(p<0.05). Also there was increase in physical fitness(p<0.05) compared with control. Although no significant differences in low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride, significant difference was observed for total cholesterol. Additionally, no significant changes were seen in hematological parameters, but psychosocial functions improved significantly after training. This study demonstrated that exercise training before hemodialysis can improve exercise capacities, physiologic and psychosocial functioning in end-stage renal disease patients. Thus, exercise training seems to have beneficial effects on physiologic and psychosocial functioning in hemodialysis patients, and should be considered as a therapeutic modality for their medical management and rehabilitation.